


Life's a Fair Game

by PaintedLady1



Category: RWBY
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Clover gives Qrow anxiety pretty much, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Lucky Charms, M/M, Minor Qrow Branwen/Ozpin, Mr. Lucky Charms is here to save the day, No Character Death, Qrow is a goth bitch, Rating Changed, References to Depression, Romance, Roulette - Freeform, Slow Burn, This man could have so many boyfriends, Trying my best to be canon compliant, mild/ brief references to suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21566806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintedLady1/pseuds/PaintedLady1
Summary: “Lucky you.”He almost missed those words.No one smiled at him. Looked at him with warmth. Maybe if they were drunk, and didn’t detect the intensity and self-loathing behind his eyes because of the alcohol.Qrow Branwen had spent his entire life trying to avoid people, attachments, relationships. If he could help it, that is. His loneliness and losses... he drank away. But now an equally skilled huntsman might have a solution to the problem that's been tormenting him his entire life?
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 35
Kudos: 207





	1. The Mines

“Lucky you.”

He almost missed those words.

No one smiled at him. Looked at him with warmth. Maybe if they were drunk, and didn’t detect the intensity and self-loathing behind his eyes because of the alcohol. Sometimes they would laugh and say, “That’s a good one! Now what’s your real semblance?”

He had wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible. He hated putting other people in danger. _Ironwood should have known better. I shouldn’t even be here._

Shock, disbelief, fear, even anger… people blamed him his whole life for their misfortunes.

They sure as hell didn’t say that it wasn’t a problem. Because they had _good luck._

Qrow just stared, looking at nothing. The idea that the opposite of his semblance could exist never crossed his mind. Did it only work for him? Or did it seem to radiate and affect others? Could he control it? Or was it unpredictable, like his own?

He knew he must’ve looked like an idiot. He could feel a warm hand, clasped firmly on his shoulder. Clover was still looking at him with that same smile, even though he was talking into his scroll. He was _comforting_ him, like he was a baby bird fallen out of its nest. The action normally would’ve annoyed Qrow, but he probably looked lost- he certainly felt like it….

They got word that the other team had found the Grimm.

“Hey Qrow” he snapped up out of his stupor to see that Clover had removed his hand, but gotten closer. The huntsman felt warm breath by his ear.

“I’m feeling luckier than usual today.”

And then he was right back out Qrow’s personal bubble and at the end of the tunnel. The brunette winked at him before diving headfirst into the core of the mine.

The blatant showing off should’ve caused Qrow to roll his eyes into the back of his head. _Why the hell didn’t it?_

He shrugged off the feeling of cold returning to his shoulder and followed the Ace Op down the hole.

 _So maybe Ironwood_ did _know what he was doing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clover: I've only known Qrow for one day but I will flirt with him incessantly until he loves me  
> Ace Ops: ...  
> Clover: Did I say that out loud?


	2. Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow finds himself lost in the halls of the Atlesian dorms yet again... He fails to get directions back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is actually an appropriate length :)

Qrow just needed a walk. Or to lay down. Preferably both.

Okay, so, maybe there’s downsides to being an alcoholic. One of which is when your flask runs dry and your good friend decides to act like the responsible parents you never had and _not_ give you refills. Even a single one.

“Qrow, you’re getting worse. Qrow, you’re going to drink yourself to death.” said man muttered as he wandered aimlessly through the Atlesian dorms. It was true that he had been feeling… better since their group arrived at Atlas, discounting their rocky start in Mantle. He saw James again, and the man who was usually so cold was actually… glad to see him. They had hot showers, a reliable food source, and beds to sleep in. They had a plan to take down Salem and more allies. Hell, they were going to have an army! And most of all, the kids seemed safe and relatively happy.

So, the dark-haired man had less of an inclination to drink these days. That didn’t mean that he didn’t still want to, or _have to_. Going cold turkey was like constantly having a hangover, without the relief of more alcohol to make the pain go away.

Again, he found himself taking painkillers for a bitch of a headache and taking a walk. It was freezing outside- come on we’re talking about Atlas here- so his walks were relegated to pacing the hallways and zoning out… and getting lost.

After ending up in the same spot (a long hallway with five doors that were different than the rest on the floor) four times within a ten-minute period, and unable to locate a stairwell, Qrow gave in. According to his scroll, it was late. You couldn’t tell by looking out a window since one, there weren’t many, and two, it was always dark this far north. He could really use some sleep, to help with stress the withdrawal was putting on his body.

_I’ll just knock on one of these doors and hope some kid can point me in the right direction._

Qrow chose one of the strange doors and rapped his knuckles against the metal. When he was about to give up and try somewhere else, a familiar voice and face greeted him.

“Qrow! I don’t remember giving out where the Ace Ops live, but please… come inside.”

Qrow found himself embarrassed for some reason. He rubbed the back of his neck, “I-I got a bit lost. I didn’t expect to see you either. I really just need some directions back to where I’m staying…” he replied sheepishly.

Clover laughed, “I was just messing with you. But not about the coming inside part. I’m having some tea, why don’t you join me?”

The leader of the Ace Ops smiled at Qrow as he reluctantly sauntered into his apartment. Qrow’s mind went back to when they were alone in the mines, and he looked away, choosing to examine the décor. Despite Atlas being known for practical, militaristic, almost sterile styles, Clover’s living room was full of warm tones and plush furniture.

Said man returned from what must have been the kitchen with a tea set for two and sat down, motioning for Qrow to do so as well.

“I don’t know if you prefer coffee but it’s a bit late for so much caffeine, for me. This is an herbal tea that Harriette got my hooked on, actually. She can’t have too much caffeine, or it messes with her semblance, ya know. Speed and all that.”

Qrow, who was indeed a coffee person, had taken a sip out of courtesy. _This is actually pretty good._

“I can understand that. I also know someone with a speed-based semblance and he basically gets high off of coffee…” The two continued to chat and learned a bit more about each other’s’ lives. Despite the lack of caffeine, Qrow found himself becoming increasingly nervous. His host wasn’t breaking eye contact and it kept bringing him back to the mission… _” that’s a shame… lucky you… I’m feeling luckier than usual today…”_

“Is it too cold in here? I can see you shivering Qrow.” The huntsman blinked out of his trance to feel that a warm hand had reached across the table to take his own.

“Yeah, your hands are freezing! I’ll turn up the heat.” Clover got up and Qrow felt what heat he must have in his body spread across his face. _What the fuck? Am I really that touch-starved that I turn into a blushing virgin every time this guy tries to be nice? What’s wrong with me!?_

He remembered the long embrace James had given him after their meeting. He was surprised, flattered, and the contact with someone besides family felt nice. But something about when Good Luck Guy grabbed his arm to stop his fall, grasped his shoulder, and now held his hand, felt… different. _Maybe it’s because I don’t know him as well as I know James…_

Before Clover got a chance to sit back down, Qrow stood up abruptly.

“Thank you for the tea and the company, but it’s getting late. I should head back.” He gave a weak but genuine smile before turning to walk out, hands in his pockets.

Immediately Clover was by his side, confidence faded into worry. Qrow took a couple steps backward in surprise. He internally cursed himself for letting the painkillers take his guard down. _Or was this man really good enough to sneak up on a former bandit?_

“Qrow… is there something bothering you? Are you alright?” Emerald eyes pierced into red ones. The green played a chord on Qrow’s sore heartstrings and his response came out more rushed and whinier than he wanted it to be.

“I’m fine! I just have a lot going on right now.” He said to his shoes.

The same hands that had been on his mind the whole day were suddenly on his shoulders. He looked up to have soft lips firmly press against his own. He stepped back again, just to hit the wall and have Clover eagerly close the gap. As he kissed him again, Qrow hesitantly moved his hands to rest on his host’s hips, and melted their mouths together, as he returned the kiss.

Clover pulled back slowly, leaving little room between them. He moved his hands downward to trace over the other man’s chest.

“I hope you feel better soon Qrow…” he murmured softly. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help…”

Clover locked eyes with Qrow again and the later, spooked by what he saw in them, ripped himself away and made a beeline for the door, shutting it behind him and only stopping when he had turned a few corners.

_Wait… I forgot to get directions… Shit!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby: Uncle Qrow has been gone for hours, I hope everything is okay :(  
> Blake: *Reading* I'm sure everything is fine.  
> Weiss: He's an adult Ruby! Besides, he would of texted us if he needed our help with something.  
> Yang: I don't know about that Weiss... He probably doesn't want to be... a bird-en!!! XD  
> RWB: *all groan*


	3. Playing Without Bets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Clover find a way to spend their time during their supply run to the Arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ripping off the canon again but this is a great scene

Team RWBY and JNOR (Junior) have been very busy, but extremely excited to take on their new Atlas huntsmen duties. It’s not like they hadn’t been, you know _, fighting to save the world_ before. But now they were doing it _officially_. The thing is, Atlas is run like a well-oiled machine. And machines only need small, occasional breaks for maintenance.

Qrow looked to the front of the vehicle and saw the tell-tales signs of Ruby nodding off, literally leaning on the enthusiastic red-head’s shoulder. She wouldn’t let his poor niece sleep though, from the sounds of it.

“Everything goin’ alright up there?”

“Just fine Uncle Qrow!” Ruby turned to answer him from the front seat with a thumbs up.

“I… win again. Maybe we should call it quits?” Clover stated the fact bluntly. Qrow huffed and hid his face behind his arm, in both frustration and embarrassment.

Sure, his semblance sucked, and was probably amplified when it came to Mr. Lucky Charms to his left, but he had won at games of cards before. Something told Qrow he wasn’t losing just to luck today…

_Does he really have to sit like that!?_

“Shut up and deal.”

Clover kept his eyes on his opponent and chuckled as he started to shuffle the cards again. He began to do his “thing” again. That is, make small talk that actually meant more than small talk.

Neither of them had brought up the _incident_ that occurred a couple nights ago in Clover’s apartment.

“Your niece sure is... one of a kind, huh?” Qrow knew he was talking about Ruby, _as if the ‘Uncle Qrow’ wasn’t a dead giveaway_ , but people often assumed she was his niece, or even daughter, from Ruby’s appearance anyway. Dark hair, red and black clothes, crosses, a scythe weapon just like his. He never explained to others that they weren’t related by blood. He didn’t know what having kids was like. But he loved the girls as much as he would have loved any children of his own. Unlike his twin sister, he had learned that family was something that one chose, not something that was chosen _for you_.

Qrow kept his eyes averted. It seemed like an innocent enough question, but he still wasn’t completely comfortable talking to _strangers_ , especially about his family. Even if that made him sound like a child, he knew it was a born from survival instincts. He also didn’t particularly feel like looking into those emerald eyes again…

“They all are… Been through a lot together.” He deflected.

“That’s a good thing they had someone to look up to and get them through it.” He rapped the cards against the table and began to deal again, nonchalantly. “Not everyone is so lucky.”

_There it is. Luck again. Does he not realize…?_

Qrow huffed and gave a tight smile.

He remembered the Apathy. How he almost drank himself to death. It was like the feeling in his gut when Summer didn’t come home from her mysterious mission after a few months. The initial grief and shock of hearing that Ozpin didn’t make it out of the vault… that the man he though invincible and divine had _lost_. The disappointment behind the smile when Oz’s new reincarnation was even younger than his nieces. Oz’s confession… Pain. Betrayal. Guilt. He had wanted to drown in a sea of hard liquor to make himself numb, and the farmhouse’s cellar gave him just what he needed.

And then there was Argus. He had completely given up until Ruby, the leader she had become, slapped him in the face with her stubborn optimism- and he saw Summer again. She dragged them all to their feet with a crazy plan that actually _worked_.

“I don’t know about all of that… Thanks… by the way… for lookin’ out for ‘em.” He turned to face Clover to give him his appreciation in full. “You and your team.”

“What good is saving the world without another generation waiting in the wings?” Clover stared ahead, completely serious.

_My thoughts exactly… these kids, no, hunters now… are our future, and apparently our present too._

“Hopefully they’ll leave Remnant better than we left it for them.” He slid Qrow’s new hand across their makeshift table.

_Oh, they already have._

Qrow went to pick up his cards and their fingers brushed briefly. He could hear his pulse in his ears, remembering the last time they touched. He decided to lighten the mood to hide his nervousness.

“Hmpf.. Once upon a time, I would’ve drank to that!”

Clover’s gaze immediately flicked over to his right.

“You shouldn’t do that, you know.”

“Don’t worry! I-I gave that up!” Qrow stuttered, guilt and worry spreading across his face. _How much did James tell him? Is it that obvious? Did he notice I was drunk when we first got arrested in Mantle_?

Qrow was ashamed of his past alcoholism in general, and found himself particularly not wanting his new cards partner to find out that unsavory detail about his past.

“I meant, deflect a compliment.” Qrow’s eyes widened as he looked up.

“Those kids wouldn’t be where they are without you. You’ve had more of an effect on them then you realize.” Clover continued confidently, as if he hadn’t just flipped Qrow’s entire perception of himself on its head. The man had a tendency to do that, it seems.

Qrow let out a small smile and blushed, scratching the back of head and averting his gaze- relishing the moment… not sure how to respond.

It’s a good thing he didn’t have to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penny: Ruby, your Uncle and Clover are acting a bit odd... is this some type of courting ritual?  
> Ruby: ... I'll tell you when you're older Penny
> 
> Don't worry, you'll get more like that of Chapter 2... I did say it was slow burn!


	4. A Night Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow gets a night off, same as Team RWBY and JRON.  
> He decides he wants to spend it with Clover, of course.

Qrow cleared his throat, unsure that he had heard James correctly.

“A night off!?” Qrow realized he hadn’t had a day off in months. Trekking through Vale and Mistral with the kids was pretty rough. Before that, his “resting” consisted of drinking at shady taverns in towns whose names he wouldn’t remember, when it was too dark to continue walking or flying, but too early to end the day.

The last time he really had “real” days off was when missions from Oz were slow enough that he could teach at Signal. If he wasn’t behind on grading for once, he would take the day to visit his nieces in Patch or just sleep.

Yeah… he was a _real_ party animal.

That’s a lie, there was Beacon… back when drinking was still a hobby. _Damn I really got myself into…_

“Qrow? Are you listening?” James didn’t wait for an answer before he continued. “I, unfortunately, will have work nonstup until Amity Tower is complete, so I can’t join you. But some of the Ace Ops also have the night off, as there’s really only one event that needs heightened security tonight. You can try to get recommendations from one of them.” His expression changed from friendly to looking down at his scroll a bit impatiently as he continued to talk about what to do in Atlas.

“Thanks James, it’s alright. You can head off to your important meeting now.” The General looked a bit relieved.

“See you tomorrow Qrow… take care.”

~

The first thing that came to his mind was to text Clover. He didn’t know if he also had the night off, but that made things less awkward, right? If Clover didn’t want to hang out with him, he could just claim he was working. No pressure. But if he did…

Qrow sat on his bed, hastily typing and clicking send before he could change his mind. He laid back and sighed, deciding the bland ceiling tiles interested him more than obsessively waiting for his scroll to ping.

_‘According to James, I have the night off. If you’re free would you want to go out? I’m not really familiar with Atlas. You know of any good place to kill a couple of hours? ‘_

*beep*

Qrow grabbed his scroll in a half of a second.

_‘Sure, sounds good to me! There’s a Hunters club around here that has pretty good food and live music- you don’t even have to drink to have a good time! I’ll send you the address. Meet you there in about 45 mins :) ’_

He got a pin of a building and an address a couple seconds later.

Qrow smiled to himself. Something about the way Clover had just decided that they were going was amusing. He sent a confirmation just to be polite, and started to get ready. He made sure to put on the cologne he had impulsively purchased a few days ago.

~

It was dark but not cold, especially considering his aura provided him some protection from the elements.

The walk to downtown gave Qrow an opportunity to overthink the text message. Did James tell Clover about his alcohol… issues? Or was the brunette perceptive enough to pick up on it from the few comments Qrow had made? Either way, it was for the better. He let out another sigh of relief that they weren’t going to a place where alcohol was the only form of entertainment. He didn’t think he could handle that atmosphere at this point in his life… or maybe ever again.

He found the pinned place and flashed his Huntsman License at the bouncer, who let him in without a word.

It really was a club. Bright lights and loud music assaulted his senses as he walked in. There were some half-occupied tables and barstools in the front, and he could see a massive dance floor and the source of the music in the back. There was an entrance to what looked like a tamer zone if he kept moving to the left, which he did, squirming his way past some giggling drunk huntresses in short black dresses. They didn’t seem to notice he was there, or care about his mumbled apologies.

This area was lit normally, had restaurant style tables, and was significantly quieter due to the wall separating it from the dancefloor.

“I’m glad to see you didn’t stand me up!” Clover waived from the corner and laughed at Qrow’s confused expression as he took the seat opposite.

“Just kidding! I got your text; I knew you’d be here eventually. You’ve just proven that you don’t have a very good sense of direction…” The emerald eyes gave him a wink. It took Qrow a second to catch on before he hid his face in his hands. Thankfully, the waiter chose that moment to approach their small table.

“What can I get for you two gentlemen?”

Qrow ordered a soda, and to his surprise, so did his companion.

The waiter handed them two menus. “I’ll be right back to take the rest of your order!” the tattooed blonde promised cheerfully. Qrow looked up from his menu to see the man gazing at Clover a bit longer than necessary, before turning towards the kitchen.

The crimson-eyed huntsman felt his blood pressure go up, as well as his probability of kicking someone’s ass tonight.

_Pull yourself together, those days are over._

Clover peered at him across the table with a curious, yet entertained look. As if he was ready for Qrow to spill some hot tea.

Said man realized he probably looked insane.

“S-sorry I spaced out a bit there. How have you been the past couple of days?” Qrow tried to salvage the conversation before it even began.

Clover took the bait. He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. He sighed.

“The usual. Protect the project. Prevent you-know-who from causing an uproar in Mantle… I think we’re partnered on a mission together again pretty soon. I’m looking forward to it! It’s been a while.”

“Yeah it has… to be honest it’s been really nice working with you Clover. I usually go off on my own, considering everything. I pretty much forgot what being on a team is like!” He chuckled as some fond memories of both Team STRQ and his days with Clover came to mind. He reached for his drink.

“I think we make a great team Qrow… just the two of us.” Clover stated nonchalantly as he slowly sat back up.

Qrow managed to swallow his soda without choking and glanced at Clover’s usual completely serious, yet upbeat demeanor.

Instantly, he was so glad that he put his drink down.

He felt a warm hand on his left knee, and just barely kept himself from flailing and kicking the Ace Op in the shin in the process.

_Shit._

He looked for an explanation in Clover’s eyes and just found a smile as delicate fingers moved against his thigh. Qrow didn’t move a muscle, not even breaking eye contact. After what was probably only a couple of seconds… or minutes… the hand retracted and Clover _just smiled_ as Qrow’s eyes became less owlish.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

 _YES._ “No.” Qrow replied calmer than he even expected. Something rushed to Qrow’s head that wasn’t just frustration over his embarrassment or, similarly, embarrassment over his confused feelings.

_I don’t want to be lonely forever... That means I can’t be scared forever… It’s been a long time, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try…_

Qrow laid his arm out across his half of the table, palm facing up. For the first time, he saw the slightest bit of surprise in the brunette’s features, in the form of a raised eyebrow.

But it was gone in an instant as Clover reached to take Qrow’s hand. He rubbed circles in the other man’s palm, and they gave each other small smiles.

Qrow broke the content silence. “So… big question for you Clover… why a fishing pole?”

Their chatter was more than just small talk, and they enjoyed the small physical contact for what it was. Interest. Trust. Comfort.

Neither pulled away when the waiter came back to take their dinner orders.

When the food arrived and it was time to let go, the blonde didn’t make eye contact with either of the huntsmen.

“Enjoy your meal…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blake, Yang, and Team FNKI: *See Qrow walking into the dance club they were about to go to*  
> Neon: ...I know another club guys


	5. How Long Have You Been Waiting For This, Officer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Clover enjoy the rest of their night out... maybe a bit too much...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure you check this work's ratings and tags! :)

Clover didn’t consider himself a jealous man.

He really wasn’t.

But damn, did Qrow know how to dance.

And the Ace Ops leader wasn’t the only one who was noticing…

There was only one thing to do in this situation.

Clover slinked his arm around Qrow’s delicate waist, pulling the slender man close to him in one fluid movement, forcing them to sway more than dance. But the other man didn’t seem to mind the break. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the heat generated by the packed clubgoers. Clover could feel himself getting hot as well, and thanked the gods that he stuck with sleeveless despite knowing how frigid the late-night Atlas air would be when he it was time to leave.

But he didn’t want to think about that right now.

There were much more interesting things on his mind.

Specifically, how Qrow’s hands felt on his hips.

A short but warm laugh escaped the man’s lips as noticed Clover’s surprise.

“What, are you the only one that’s allowed to be handsy?’ Qrow’s eyes lit up in an amusement Clover had never seen.

He wasn’t sure where this change in his dance partner had come from, but he definitely wasn’t going to complain.

Qrow’s face turned a bit pinker than it already was when his mind caught up with the words he had let slip by. Clover chuckled and tightened his grip on Qrow until they were pressed against each other. His voice took on a low tone, “I’ll show you a new definition of that word if you _allow_ me, Qrow”

This time it was Clover’s turn to laugh. He let go of Qrow to let him recover, as an upbeat pop song that he _definitely_ wanted to dance to came on.

“It seems you need to learn how to take humor as well as compliments!”

“I think you just need better jokes, Lucky Charms”, Qrow retorted, with a small smile, as they both picked up the beat of the new song.

~

Clover smelled the man before he saw him. The plastered huntsman pushed his way between the two, either completely oblivious or too drunk to care. He turned and bumped Qrow’s shoulder with a decent amount of force, considering he flinched back a bit.

“Oh, sorry bud… my bad!” He slurred, inches away from Qrow’s face, which was currently contorted in disgust. Clover scowled as he watched the man move on and continue his path of destruction, hearing what was most likely someone’s drink hit the floor.

_Not my problem. I’m not on duty and this is not my area of enforcement._

He turned back to his partner, who was attempting to hide… _anxiousness?_

_Wait. Qrow could kick that man’s ass all the way to Vacuo… why was he…?_

“Qrow… how long have you been sober?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked towards his shoes as he answered, “Since… my flask went dry halfway through the airship ride to Atlas…”

Clover grabbed the newly sober man’s shoulders.

“Qrow! That’s only been-“

“I know how long it’s been!” Qrow stated, with a sharpness in his eyes, as they pierced Clover’s. “I’ve been around alcohol since then. I need to learn to deal with it being a part of other people’s lives. I can’t coddle myself forever and miss out on basically every social event that I’ll ever be invited to.”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know. But I’ll respect what you decide that you can handle.”

Qrow’s eyes softened, “Thanks Clover, that means a lot.

~~~~~~~

Qrow was just happy that he didn’t receive a I-know-what’s-best-for-you lecture. Especially from Clover. Even being incredibly sexy wouldn’t make up for treating him like a child.

He hoped he didn’t look too awkward. He hadn’t danced sober since Oz made him take that ballroom dancing class… which he may or may not have gotten kicked out of halfway through because his flirting was “distracting” the other students. The instructor had a stick up her ass 100% of the time.

Qrow knew how to dance the style that mattered, the type that you had to learn from experience.

It was just another one of the Headmaster’s attempts to hide the fact that Qrow had been raised outside of “civilization” by teaching him some semi-aristocratic BS. But if the lessons on civility didn’t come from Oz himself, he didn’t take them seriously. He soaked up Oz’s attention like a sponge, even going so far as to annoy the man or pretend he wasn’t learning so that he “earned himself” another session. It didn’t take long before the wizard saw right through him, but he indulged Qrow anyway.

“You alright?”

Qrow hadn’t realized he had been spacing out.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just reminiscing, I guess.”

“Oh? I hope I bring up some good memories!” Clover smirked.

“I’d say so…”

It was true. If he blocked out the fact that Oz had lied to him for over half of his life… Yeah, he still hung on to those memories with a death grip.

But now wasn’t the time for them.

~

It was dark. And freezing. Qrow went from admiring Clover’s arms to wondering why the hell the man never wore a proper shirt.

Clover slung an arm around Qrow’s shoulders and he returned the gesture by wrapping his arm around the Ace Op’s waist. The whole combined-body-heat-warms-you-up thing was doing a decent job.

“Do you want to hang out for a bit? Make the most of our free night?” Clover asked.

_Yes._

The problem was, where would they go?

Qrow was living in a guest suite. A one-bedroom usually used by visiting lecturers or temp professors. It was much smaller than Clover’s apartment, but plenty of room for a man who didn’t care much for creature comforts and was used to sleeping in trees as a bird during warm nights.

But the kids knew where he lived, and he wasn’t sure if they were all asleep yet.

Qrow swallowed, thinking about what happened the last time he was at Clover’s. But that was really the only option, unless they wanted to freeze to death.

“I guess we’ll go to your place, does that work?”

“Of course! You’re welcome over at any time Qrow”

He couldn’t help but feel a bit touched by the gesture.

~

“Hanging out” lasted five steps into the apartment.

Qrow watched Clover throw his keys down before turning to him with a look that made the last of the huntsman’s reservations disappear.

The other man must have noticed.

He grabbed Qrow and tilted his chin upwards with the other hand. Qrow was met with soft lips but a hard kiss, the cold from the walk back already melted away. Qrow latched onto one shoulder and ran his hand through the brunette’s hair, pressing their lips together again. Clover nipped at Qrow’s lip and then their tongues were intertwined. Qrow clutched at the back of Clover’s shirt and appreciated the muscles he felt through the thin tank.

Suddenly Clover broke the kiss and pulled Qrow’s hair, snapping his head back. Qrow gasped at the unexpectedly rough treatment, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t like it that way.

Clover kissed a trail down his throat, making him hold his breath as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He turned Qrow’s head slightly and sunk is teeth into the flesh where neck met collarbone.

“Fuck!” Qrow hissed. Clover pulled away and chuckled before meeting his lips again.

Qrow ground their hips together and moaned, feeling that his date was just as hard as he was. Clover’s breath was hot against his face as he pulled back slightly.

“Do you want to take this to the bedroom Qrow?” Clover asked, slightly out of breath.

_Yes._

“Lead the way Lucky Charms”

Clover practically tossed the smaller man onto the bed, and threw off his own shirt before climbing on top of him, making fast work of taking of Qrow’s as well.

Qrow for once, found himself lucky that Clover was too busy messing with his more complicated clothing to notice the blush spreading across his face as he stared at Clover’s now-exposed abs.

_Damn he’s so hot, thank you gods._

Clover found himself at Qrow’s belt and stopped.

“Qrow… are you sure you want to do this? We don’t have to…”

“I do… I want _you_ Clover”

_There. He said it._

Clover smiled, “Lucky me”

He practically ripped the rest of Qrow’s clothing off, his gaze raked his body and he took off the remainder of his own clothes.

Qrow’s normally alcohol-fogged mind wouldn’t give a shit about being naked, but he found himself slightly self-conscious at the moment.

“You’re even more gorgeous than I imagined Qrow”

And then he wasn’t. He was more flustered over how long Clover had been thinking about doing this. But he didn’t have very long to contemplate.

Clover leaned over him and opened the nightstand to take out a bottle of lubricant. He slicked his fingers with it and leaned over Qrow again, bracing himself against the bed, as green met crimson eyes to confirm his consent one more time.

Qrow nodded and Clover pressed a finger into him. Qrow failed to stifle a moan, as it had been so long since someone had touched him so intimately.

Qrow felt him gradually slip in more fingers and he sighed at the feeling of the younger man inside of him. He almost protested when the sensation stopped, but his excitement at what was coming next overwhelmed his disappointment.

He felt Clover’s hands on his thighs and he looked up at him with a smirk.

“How long have you been waiting for this, Officer?”

“Too long. Don’t make me wait again, Branwen.”

And Clover pushed into him. Qrow’s breath hitched but he soon felt a pair of lips on his to help ease the pain.

“Just relax”, Clover murmured and kissed him again, until he was all the way in and Qrow told him he could move.

“Gods Qrow…” Clover moaned as he picked up his pace and grip became bruising. Qrow found himself shamelessly calling out his partner’s name as pleasure overwhelmed him.

He was startled when Clover flipped him onto his stomach and coaxed him up to his hands and knees. He bit his lip hard enough to taste blood when Clover grabbed his hip and starting fucking him faster than before, stroking his cock with his free hand.

“…Clover… unnngg… I’m…” Qrow tried to get the words out between moans.

“Come for me, Qrow”

“Clover!”

Qrow’s entire body shook as he struggled to keep himself up, squeezing his eyes shut as the intensity rippled through his body.

He heard Clover call his name right before he felt the warmth. He shuddered.

Both men were frozen for a moment, gasping for breath. Clover pulled out and flopped down on the bed, pulling Qrow with him. He wrapped his arms around the still-disoriented huntsman as he pulled him to his chest.

After a pause, Clover spoke, “I’m sorry… I-I should have asked. I got a bit caught up in the moment. I apologize.”

It took Qrow a second to register the other man’s words.

“Oh! Oh… don’t worry about it… I liked it…”

“Glad to hear”

The two men looked at each other through half-lidded eyes, before Clover gave Qrow a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Goodnight Qrow”

“Goodnight Clover…” Qrow replied, falling asleep already.

Clover reached to his side and turned off the bedside lamp before sinking back into the bed and pulling Qrow close, once again.

Still inside Qrow’s discarded clothing, muffled by the cloth and the carpet, Qrow’s scroll vibrated incessantly throughout the night until its battery finally died.

Clover never received any of the emergency notifications on his scroll. He had turned it off after he found Qrow at the club. The rest of the Ace Ops had told him to have some fun- that they would handle anything that came up during the night. And he didn’t want to deal with the constant pinging of their group chat.

The two men were in for one hell of a morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ironwood: No Qrow, you cannot collect intel at a bar after 3 days of being sober!  
> Qrow: Watch me bitc- I mean... Jimmy!
> 
> Marrow: Clover better being getting laid right now or else we all almost died for nothing!  
> Elm: *laughs hysterically*  
> Vine: Can we be professional outside of work for five minutes?  
> Harriet: I'm going on a run...


	6. The Early Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reflections...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep moving forward.

_"And the sunshine hit me_

_And I was behaving strangely_

_All the walls were melting_

_And there were mermaids everywhere_

_Hearts flew from my hands_

_And I could see people’s feelings_

_This is the only thing… I’ve ever had any faith in…”_

\- Grace, by Florence + The Machine

*************************************************************************************

A charming house in Patch became their base of operations.

They purchased it with their combined saved earnings from paid missions during their fourth year at Beacon, as well as Tai’s sign-on bonus from the teaching position he immediately landed at Signal upon graduating.

The blonde man’s fighting days were over. He wanted to be around to support his pregnant partner (in both meanings of the word), and the child that would arrive in only a few months’ time.

The location was perfect. Commutable to Signal was the first requirement that it passed with flying colors. It was close enough to Vale that Qrow could easily visit when he wasn’t at Beacon or on one of Oz’s missions. Even for Summer it wasn’t a very long ride if she took an airship from town. She rotated between missions from Oz and what she concluded could help the most people off of the Hunters’ Board. She always wanted to help people.

Even though the two were former partners and worked for the same man, they almost never went on missions together. Being within a half a mile radius of Qrow would ruin Summer’s innocent, mild, looks-younger-than-she-is demeanor which threw off enough of her human opponents that it became part of her fighting strategy. And although four years of Summer and Tai telling him his semblance didn’t make him a burden did wear on Qrow’s self-loathing habit, he was still _always_ nervous that one day something would go horribly wrong, and it would be his fault.

There was a master for Tai and Raven, the baby’s room, and two spare rooms for Summer and Qrow when they were home.

But soon the rooms and their occupants would turn into a game of musical chairs.

Qrow remembered the nervous smile on Raven’s face when Yang was born. It was nothing compared to the beaming pride written all over Tai, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Raven was suffering from post-partum depression. No one knew why. It was summer, so it wasn’t related to the weather. Tai graded all of his papers at home and held virtual office-hours over his scroll so he helped out more than his fair share. Both Summer and Qrow (who took some convincing that it was okay for him to be around the baby) babysat. But sometimes these things just happen, without any obvious cause. Mental illness was cruel in that way.

Sometimes Raven would lay in her bed all day. Or go out for a fly for hours, often late into the night. Qrow once walked in to see Raven staring down at a crying Yang, with blank eyes. Tai walked in and took the baby from her, “Why don’t you rest, darling?” he told her as delicately as possible.

She stood up and walked away without a word. The two men made eye contact, but there was nothing to say.

It was a rare night that they were all together at the same time. They were in the living room, chatting like old times. Raven fell asleep on the couch pretty early. Tai placed a blanket over her and kissed her on the forehead before the rest of the team went to bed a couple of hours later, exhausted from staying up late, catching up.

Qrow slept like a log that night, but woke up to early-morning sunlight streaming across his face. He groaned and realized he had yet again forgotten to close the blinds the previous night.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, before deciding that it would only be slightly more effort to get up and make coffee for everyone (like the good teammate that he was) than it would to walk across the room and close the blinds.

He shuffled down the hallway and past the living room. The lack of a sleeping form had him look through the doorway again. The blanket Raven had been sleeping with was folded on the arm of the couch and the pillow were fluffed. That wasn’t too odd, Raven was by far the neater of the two siblings before she fell ill.

By far was not an exaggeration.

Qrow stretched as he walked into the kitchen and went to turn on the coffee pot.

Tai awoke to find himself alone in bed. Which was nothing new.

He could hear whispers from the kitchen as he made his way down the stairs.

Summer and Qrow were standing next to each other in front of the counter, and turned around to look at him at the same time. They turned to each other, then back to him, worry etched into their faces.

“There’s something you need to read, Tai”

“I’m sorry Tai”

_She didn’t kill herself, she didn’t kill herself, she didn’t…_

Her wallet was missing. So were the very few personal items she had. The sword and mask that she hadn’t touched in months had vanished as well.

But her keys were in their usual spot.

Qrow found her. Exactly where he thought he would. He didn’t have the heart to tell Tai that he had seen her. He didn’t want his friend to look for her, because she didn’t want to be found.

He told Tai that he had heard that she went back to the tribe through his connections. He never told him that he would continue to see her every once in a while. That would hurt him too much. He just couldn’t do it. Most of all, he couldn’t tell his teammate that after a while, she was… happy.

As happy as Raven could be.

Summer and Tai got married. Summer’s old room soon became the nursery for Ruby. She put her missions practically on hold until Ruby was a toddler. Taking care of two kiddos was a full-time job, after all.

She said she was going on a bit longer of a mission than usual. One or two weeks.

It was week three. Qrow was worried. Yang was upset. Even young Ruby was antsy. And Tai was… panicking.

Qrow flew to the clocktower on the twenty-first day since he had last seen Summer. To his surprise, she hadn’t taken a mission from Oz. The headmaster had one of his agents remotely hack her scroll. Its location feature was disabled, indicating that it had either died or been broken. But they were able to access her stored data. Her recent mission log turned up… _empty._

On day twenty-two, Summer Rose was listed as M.I.A. with an (anonymous) hefty award for information or her safe return.

To this day, there hasn’t been a single tip.

Yang never knew another mother besides Summer, who had turned from nanny to mother before her own child even arrived. The girls didn’t question that Qrow was an “honorary” part of the family. Himself and Tai removed every picture of Team STRQ (there were surprisingly few) from the house and put them in a box in the attic, soon after Raven left.

But he forgot one.

And the little firecracker, even at a young age, was very bright.

One night he took all of his pocket’s contents and threw them on the coffee table in the living room, flopping down to sleep on the couch. He knew he left his room a mess the last time he was over and he just wanted _sleep._

Qrow woke up to find his wallet emptied onto the floor and a little girl with lilac eyes and wild golden hair holding a small photograph.

“Uncle Qrow, who’s that?”, she shoved the picture in his face, a finger clearly pointed to Raven. It was an old phot from their Beacon days.

_Gods damn it._

He couldn’t lie to her, or even think of a good lie at the moment.

“That’s my sister, Raven. She used to be part of a team with Mommy, Daddy, and myself.”

Yang paused to think, pulling the picture back before Qrow could pluck it from her tiny fingers and distract her.

“Auntie?”

“Yes… she’s your… auntie.”

She squinted at the picture a bit harder.

“Then why does she look just like me?”

_Shit._

“…Let’s go wake up Daddy, okay Firecracker?”

Qrow couldn’t remember his first drink. He drank whenever he was stressed and liked to have fun at parties. So basically, he drank a lot. But he also always got his schoolwork and missions done.

He saw some shit on his missions. He lost count of the number of times he almost died after a few months. The more blood he spilled, the more he found himself turning to whiskey to get himself to sleep.

After Summer died, he felt it was the only thing he could turn to.

Oz had enough to worry about

*************************************************************************************

_This wasn’t his bed._

Qrow stirred. Finding himself slightly restrained, he began to struggle as he blinked away his dream.

_Warmth._

Strong arms around him. Not a trap or another sleep paralysis episode. Just Clover.

_Just Clover._

That sounded odd. Clover was much more to him than a soft embrace to wake up to. Qrow relished the memories of the night before, which returned to him instantaneously upon realizing that he wasn’t in danger. Gone were the days of confusion, headaches, and wondering what the hell happened and with whom.

_Gone forever._

There was a dim light that made it past the curtains, signaling that it was just around dawn. There was enough time to go back to sleep, wasn’t there? Qrow never rested well when he dreamed of the late days of his team. His eyelids began to feel heavy again.

Qrow cozied up to Clover, glad to see that his agitation hadn’t woken the other man. His head rested against Clover’s bare chest. That body was asking to be made into a piece of artwork. Qrow’s sleepiness overruled his lust, however, as a steady heartbeat lulled him back to a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We deserve a Team STRQ backstory so I decided to write one. I hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> I love reading your comments <3 thank you so much!


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